1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to foil pans for roasting and oven baking of large foods, such as turkeys, hams, roasts and the like and, more particularly, to reinforcing such pans to resist buckling and twisting during the handling of the pans.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disposable aluminum foil pans for supporting large and heavy food items, such as turkeys, hams, roasts and the like, are widely used for cooking in ovens, and for transporting the food items to and from the ovens. To ensure quick distribution of heat and to make the pans so inexpensive that it is economically feasible to dispose of the pans after use, the pans are typically stamped from aluminum sheet material having a thickness on the order of 6.5 mils or less. This thickness is generally suitable for supporting food items of no more than twenty pounds.
As advantageous as these known pans are, the prior art pans tended to buckle and twist, especially when the sheet material thickness was reduced below 6.5 mils, and when the food items weighed more than twenty pounds, during transport of the pans to and from an oven. If there were liquids in the pans, such as gravy or cooking juices, care had to be exercised to prevent the liquids from spilling over the sides of the pans, or from leaking through cracks or splits in the pans caused by the buckled and twisted pans.
The art has attempted to solve the buckling and twisting problems in various ways. For example, crease lines were stamped in the base and side walls of some prior art pans to provide a measure of reinforcement. It was also known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,625, to roll, crimp or curl over the peripheral rims of some prior art pans to rigidify and add strength to the pans. However, the reliance upon the material of the pan itself often failed to prevent the buckling and twisting problems.
Other known techniques exemplified, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,203,254 and No. 5,503,062 involve the use of outer support racks and/or inner support racks. These racks either directly support the food items above the base walls, or support the pans from below the base walls. Such racks are designed to be detachably mounted on the pans and, in use, frequently become dislodged from the pans, thereby defeating the reinforcement function at the very time it is most needed.